John Campbell, 1st Baron Cawdor, FRS, FSA ( – 1 June 1821) was a British politician and military officer who sat in the

House of Commons of Great Britain The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union 1707, Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the Pa ...

from 1777 to 1796.

Biography

John Campbell was born in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, the son of Pryse Campbell and Sarah Campbell (née Bacon). His siblings were Sarah, George, Alexander and Charles Campbell. He was sent to board at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

from 1763 to 1767 and afterwards studied at

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the Unive ...

in 1772. His father died in 1768, so when his grandfather died in 1777 John inherited Stackpole Court in Pembrokeshire, his grandfather's other estates in Pembrokeshire and Nairn, and a mineral-producing estate in Cardiganshire; these lands and mines made him a rich man. From 1777 to 1780 he was Member of Parliament for

Nairnshire The County of Nairn, or Nairnshire, () is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county was named after Nairn, its only town. The county was used for local government until 1975 when the ...

. He became Member of Parliament for Cardigan Boroughs from a by-election in June 1780 until he stood down at the

1796 British general election The 1796 British general election returned members to serve in the 18th and last House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain. They were summoned before the Union of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. The members in office in Gr ...

. From 1780 he was Governor of Milford Haven. Between 1783 and 1788 Campbell visited Italy and Sicily, where he bought antiquities from Fr. John Thorpe, Henry Tresham, James Durno and Thomas Jenkins, commissioned paintings of archaeological sites in Naples and Sicily from Xavier della Gatta, Tito Lusieri, Henry Tresham and Louis Ducros, and bought sculptures from the young Canova (including ''

Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss ''Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss'' ( ; ; ; ) is a sculpture by Italian artist Antonio Canova first commissioned in 1787 by John Campbell, 1st Baron Cawdor, Colonel John Campbell.Johns, C.M.S. (1998) ''Antonio Canova and the Politics of Patronage ...

''), but never received them. In 1788 Campbell bought from Giovanni Volpato the celebrated Lante Vase, now at

Woburn Abbey Woburn Abbey (), occupying the east of the village of Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the family seat of the Duke of Bedford. Although it is still a family home to the current duke, it is open on specified days to visitors, ...

in Bedfordshire. He also began a collection of 'Etruscan' (i.e. ancient Greek) vases from Nola and other southern Italian sites, and had further examples sent to him after his return to Britain, including the 'Campbell

Krater A krater or crater (, ; , ) was a large two-handled type of vase in Pottery of ancient Greece, Ancient Greek pottery and metalwork, mostly used for the mixing of wine with water. Form and function At a Greek symposium, kraters were placed in ...

' excavated at Lecce in 1790. He also continued to acquire architectural and sculptural fragments and casts. Campbell established a museum in his house in Oxford Street, London, which had an art-historical rather than decorative intention, and was hailed by the sculptor,

John Flaxman John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several yea ...

, as 'excellent news for the arts'. In 1794 Campbell became a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a registered charity. It is based at Burlington House in Pi ...

and in 1795 a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. As a Parliamentarian, Campbell was at first a Whig and a supporter of Lord North. In debates on the North Atlantic slave trade he supported the abolitionists. He became a supporter of the younger Pitt's war policy. As a landowner he was an active improver - draining the Castlemartin Corse and creating Bosherton lakes. His generosity to the poor was proverbial. He gave up his seat in the House of Commons for one in the House of Lords when created Baron Cawdor of Castlemartin in the County of Pembroke on 21 June 1796. In 1797 he was the commander of the Pembrokeshire Yeomanry, who defeated Napoleon's troops in the Last invasion of Britain. The following year he was appointed

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the Carmarthenshire Militia.Bryn Owen, ''History of the Welsh Militia and Volunteer Corps 1757–1908: Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire, Part 1: Regiments of Militia'', Wrexham: Bridge Books, 1995, ISBN 1-872424-51-1, p. 22. In 1800 Cawdor sold the contents of his Museum. Several items were sold to the architect, Sir

John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture, Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor ...

. In 1804 he added to his extensive land-holdings by inheriting John Vaughan's estates at

Golden Grove, Carmarthenshire Golden Grove () is a mansion and estate in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire, located southwest of Llandeilo. History There have been three mansions on the estate. The first was built in 1560 by the Vaughan family, which was later ennobled ...

. In 1808 he was Mayor of Carmarthen. Lord Cawdor died on 1 June 1821, at Bath and was buried at

Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...

. On 28 July 1789 he had married Lady Isabella Caroline Howard, eldest daughter of Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle and Lady Margaret Caroline Leveson-Gower. They had two children: * John Frederick Campbell, 1st Earl Cawdor (1790–1860), married Elizabeth Thynne, daughter of the 2nd Marquis of Bath *

Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Hon. George Pryse Campbell (1793–12 August 1858), married on 13 October 1821 Charlotte Gascoyne, daughter of Isaac Gascoyne. A portrait of John Campbell was made by

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

(1778; now in Cawdor Castle, Nairn); a miniature of him by

Richard Cosway Richard Cosway (5 November 1742 – 4 July 1821) was a leading English portrait painter of the Georgian and Regency era, noted for his miniatures. He was a contemporary of John Smart, George Engleheart, William Wood, and Richard Cross ...

is in the

National Galleries of Scotland The National Galleries of Scotland (, sometimes also known as National Galleries Scotland) is the executive non-departmental public body that controls the three national galleries of Scotland and two partner galleries, forming one of the Nation ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cawdor, John Campbell, 1st Baron 1750s births 1821 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge British art collectors John Campbell, 1st Baron Cawdor Barons in the Peerage of Great Britain

Cawdor Cawdor () is a village and parish in the Highland council area, Scotland. The village is south-southwest of Nairn and east of Inverness. The village is in the Historic County of Nairnshire. History The village is the location of Cawdor ...

Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Welsh constituencies Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 Mayors of places in Wales Pembroke Yeomanry officers Carmarthen Militia officers 18th-century Scottish people 19th-century Scottish politicians Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London

Biography

Further reading

References